Category: Blog

Postcard from Saturn

Get your weekly postcard of Saturn here, courtesy of the Cassini spacecraft!

Watch the sun set on Mars!

See it here!

New magazine launches!

Now, this is funny!

Should David Kay investigate the Oil for Food Program?

I’d like to believe in the U.N. I really would. But stories like this one make it difficult. A billion dollars here, a billion dollars there–pretty soon they add up to real money.

Scientists find HIV-blocking protein in monkeys

Exciting news on the HIV front. Apparently humans also have this protein, but it isn’t as active…yet. Scientists hope to change that.

Oh, so that’s what you call it…

Peterson Space Battlelab (another straight-from-an-SF-novel-name) is planning to demonstrate itsNear Space Maneuvering Vehicle, essentially a high-tech airship that’s designed to begin the exploitation of the hitherto apparently under-exploited “near space” region, between 65,000 feet and 100 kilometres (don’t blame me for the mixed metric/non-metric scales, that’s what the press release says). Interesting!

Iraq still too dangerous for UN: Annan

What use is an international organization that can be driven out of a country so easily?

Diet myths

I’ve lost 35 pounds since November using the Weight Watchers plan, which is basically calorie counting, so I’ve got an interest in healthy dieting. Here’s a good overview of some common dietary myths.

This week’s science column…

SCIENCE Edward Willett Hydrogen from ethanol Ethanol has been in the news in Saskatchewan recently with the announcement of federal subsidies for ethanol plants in Llodyminster and Weyburn. For now, most of the ethanol produced will be blended with gasoline to produce a cleaner-burning fuel for automobiles. But soon ethanol may be even more important …

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Is this really a good idea?

The Washington Post reports that both members of the current two-man International Space Station crew will spacewalk together this week, leaving the station temporarily empty. Maybe the guy left inside couldn’t do anything if there was trouble anyway, but I’d be a little nervous about it if I were one of those crewmen. Of course, …

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Lancet recants study that links autism and vaccinations

Seems the authors of a study on autism and vaccinations had a “fatal conflict of interest”–but how many kids will go unvaccinated because of the widespread reporting on the initial results? Grrr…

Einstein was right! (Again.)

Dark energy is ripping the universe apart! Another great SF headline! Except it’s happening very slowly! So we’ve still got 30 billion years! Plenty of time to use up all these excess exclamation marks I’ve acquired!